The Sherlock Holmes Vault Collection (Blu-Ray Review)
**The Film Detective’s Box Set for “The Sherlock Holmes Vault Collection” comes out on Tuesday, December 21, 2021. This is a review of not just the individual films, but the set as a whole.**
Rounding out my reviews of discs from The Film Detective is this box set of 1930s adaptations of Sherlock Holmes stories. I’m not a rabid fan of the character, but I have enjoyed many different adaptations of him over the years. I was very curious about this set, though. I will not be diving into the films as I normally would, but there is plenty to discuss here to give you an idea of the set as a whole.
“Sherlock Holmes’ Fatal Hour” (1931)
The first entry in this box set is an adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories, The Final Problem and The Empty House. In Britain, it was called “The Sleeping Cardinal,” but for American audiences it was titled “Sherlock Holmes’ Fatal Hour.” One of the things you notice early on is how sparsely music is utilized in this film. That gives this film a sense of being a filmed stage production. That works to the film’s advantage more than you’d expect. In this story, we get a card cheat being tortured by mysterious voices, and being forced into joining a criminal organization. It’s an organization which the great detective, Sherlock Holmes (Arthur Wontner), thinks is connected to one Professor Moriarty, a notorious villain in England. When the cheat is found dead, further questions are raised about what happened, and whom killed him. The filmmaking in “Fatal Hour” is simple and straightforward, but it’s the performances and screenplay that keep us engrossed in the mystery.
Blu-Ray Presentation
The Film Detective has gone all out in this box set, as each disc is filled with extras for us to dig into. First, we get lovely transfers of these prints. Sometimes, the blacks in this film are too black- the opening is practically indecipherable in what’s going on- but the image is crisp and looks great. The soundtrack is solid- because it’s primarily dialogue, it’s hard to really gauge, but it sounds very good. As for extras, “Fatal Hour” has a booklet that includes an essay by Don Stradley about lead actor Arthur Wontner, and also comes with a beautiful poster card. The first bonus on the disc is a commentary by Jennifer Churchill, and it can be sometimes sparse, but also personal and enjoyable. There’s a short video essay on the history of the “Sherlock Holmes” quickies called “The Adventures of Sam Sherman, Part One: The Fatal Hour” that is enlightening for film buffs. The extras here that will be of most interest to audiences are early Sherlock Holmes short films. One, a Black Holmes story from 1918 called, “A Black Sherlock Holmes,” is presented in two forms- one that is cut, and one that is uncut. Why the two versions? Because the original version is severely damaged, and one can tell even watching the cut version. It remains a fascinating curiosity, however, and is worth the disc alone. There’s also a minute-long silent short from 1900, “Sherlock Holmes Baffled,” and a radio broadcast recreation of “Sherlock Holmes and the Blue Carbuncle.” For Holmes fans, this disc is absolutely worth buying the box for on its own.
Film Grade: B+
Audio & Video: A-
Bonus Features: A+
“A Study in Scarlet” (1933)
In 1933, “A Study in Scarlet” has Reginald Owen as Sherlock Holmes. Adapted from Doyle’s first story for the character, Holmes is on the hunt for a secret society who collects its deceased members’s assets, leaving their loved ones with nothing. Even at 72 minutes, this is more of a slow-burn narrative than “Sherlock Holmes’ Fatal Hour”- no doubt because of it being Doyle’s first story- has some interesting ideas, and Owen is solid as the main character.
Blu-Ray Presentation
The Film Detective Blu-Ray for this movie is technically strong, but doesn’t have as many extras as “Fatal Hour.” The restoration is crisp and well-calibrated in its black-and-white photography, although there are moments where the brightness seems turned up too much. The lack of a conventional score, as with “Fatal Hour,” makes the sound mix tough to gauge, but on the whole, this is a good restoration. In terms of extras, we get another beautiful poster card, along with a booklet with an essay by C. Courtney Joyner that discusses the complications involved with bringing A Study in Scarlet to the big screen. On the disc, we get a video essay about the history of bringing Sherlock Holmes to film entitled “Elementary Cinema: The First Cinematic Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” which is an interesting treat for film buffs and Holmes fans. We also get a silent cartoon Holmes in “Slick Sleuths” from 1926 that is light and entertaining. Probably the biggest highlight on this movie is the commentary by authors and screenwriters Peter Atkins and David Breckman, who have a great rapport, and provide some fascinating insight to not just the history of Holmes on film, but how this film fits in to mystery history.
Film Grade: B
Audio & Video: A-
Bonus Features: A
“The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes” (1935)
Arthur Wontner is back as Holmes for this mystery based on Doyle’s novel, The Valley of Fear. Here, Holmes is brought out of retirement when an American criminal organization looks to get help from Professor Moriarty when a murder takes place. Wontner and Ian Fleming (as Watson) are as engaging as ever in this film. Still very much has the feel of a filmed play, but the mystery is strong, and well directed by Hiscott, returning after “Sherlock Holmes’ Fatal Hour.”
Blu-Ray Presentation
As the years go on in these films, the elements are better for The Film Detective to give us pristine transfers of these films. “The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes” looks and sounds quite lovely; we even get something of a score to help us get a hold of how strong the sound mix is cleaned up and remastered for this transfer. (The images are sterling.) We get another beautiful poster card with this film, as well as a booklet with Jason A. Ney’s essay, An Abiding Triumph: The Everlasting Appeal of Sherlock Holmes, which looks at Holmes over the years in pop culture. On the disc, we get a video essay called “The Adventures of Sam Sherman, Part Two: Triumph of Sherlock Holmes,” which discusses this film. We get an audio commentary from Ney, which is academic and enlightening about the history of British cinema, and this film’s part of it. We also get a 1912 short film version of Holmes in “The Cooper Beeches,” which arguably looks as good as anything Film Detective presents on this set. We also get a TV episode adaptation of “Blind Man’s Bluff,” with Ronald Howard as Holmes. These two continue this set’s excellence as a far-reaching examination of an iconic character.
Film Grade: B
Audio & Video: A
Bonus Features: A
“Silver Blaze” (1937)
The third film of this set that has Wontner and Fleming as Holmes and Watson, “Silver Blaze” also goes by the title, “Murder at the Baskervilles.” Holmes is on vacation, having been invited to visit Henry Baskerville and his family. It’s not long before a race horse is missing, and a murder has occurred. Of course Holmes is going to be on the case. Moriarty is back, and I think this is my favorite integration of him in these movies with Wontner. At just under 70 minutes, it is the shortest of these movies, and it’s also the most streamlined narrative. By this point, Wontner and Fleming wear these characters like a glove, and it’s been a pleasure to see them go through these films together. This is probably the strongest one overall.
Blu-Ray Presentation
Once again, this is a film that looks and sounds as good as any film we will get from the 1930s in the modern era. Crisp black-and-white cinematography and a solid sound mix restoration. At this point, it’s best to judge these discs from the bonus features, and “Silver Blaze” has another great collection of them. First of all, we get another lovely poster card, as well as a booklet with Don Stradley continuing his essay about lead actor Arthur Wontner. On the disc, we get part three of the “Adventures of Sam Sherman” video essay that’s been edited over these three films in the Wontner era. We get another two short films, “Sure Luck Holmes” (a Felix the Cat short) and “Cousins of Sherlocko” (from director Alice Guy-Blanche), that give us entertaining riffs on the concept of Holmes. The audio commentary for this one is from writers/producers Phoef Sutton and Mark Jordan Legan. They’re also podcasters, and you can tell that they have a natural rapport to go along with their knowledge on the subject. It’s probably the best listen of the four.
Film Grade: A-
Audio & Video: A
Bonus Features: A
If there’s any residual thing that comes out of my watching and reviewing The Film Detective’s terrific box set, it’s that I’m curious to dig further into on-screen adaptations of Sherlock Holmes. I’ve certainly seen some over the years- and oddly enough, my wife has been watching the show “Elementary”- but this makes me appreciate just how varied, interesting and rich that history is. My overall grade is for the set in general, and this is a winner.
